Something different from Nano

I've completed the Nanowrimo challenge several times so I'm doing something different.  I'm trying to complete the 'Story a day' challenge for May. Okay I know it's only the second day of the month but I have written two new stories.

Yesterday's has possibilities but it definitely needs working on. The brief for that was keep it short and write a twelve hundred word story. I failed. I did over sixteen hundred but by the time all the rubbish has been taking out of it, it should be twelve - well that's what I'm saying anyway.

However, today's story was different and a challenge that I set myself. The brief was memories. That in itself was a challenge because I've got fifty years of them and while I was thinking about what to write, so many of them came flooding back. Some happy, some sad, some nondescript, you know the ordinary things that for some reason the mind won't let go of.

Finally I chose one that I don't really remember a lot about, not visual images anyway but I do remember the feelings I had, which is quite strange because the incident happened when I was a small child living in Llantwit Major in South Wales.

The Queen came to visit and when I saw she wasn't wearing her crown and the horses had stayed at home, I cried and cried. Mum said I cried for days because she was wearing a normal 'queenie' outfit and was in a black car. I think I vowed never to see her again but I have, not at my behest though, I promise you that.

The challenge I set myself was to write it in the first person as if it was happening now with me, as a small child. I had to cut out words that I use now because I wouldn't have used them then. I do know that I could talk for England and was quite advanced in my vocabulary and my thinking but, I don't know if I succeeded with my self imposed challenge with what I've written tonight.

I've printed it off and will look at it on June 2nd, a month after I wrote it and then I'll decide. Could be interesting but I enjoyed the experiment.

And just one thing on my advanced thinking. While we were living in Llantwit Major my Mum gave birth to my little brother Stephen and she was in hospital for quite a while, so Nana came down to help Dad look after us. Gillian and I were in the sitting room playing quietly and Nana with the experience of both motherhood and grandmotherhood, got a bit suspicious as to exactly what we were up to.

She came in and found Gillian stark naked on the sofa with me resting my hand on her tummy saying in my most reassuring voice. 'Don't worry Mrs you're baby won't be long.' I was four years old and obviously I had worked out that babies weren't delivered by the stork or found under gooseberry bushes.

Nana was horrified. My Dad, he burst out laughing.